Prince William Calls for Action on Ivory Trade (Video)

The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi

Prince William this week became the latest big name to call upon world leaders to address the growing crisis of the worldwide ivory trade.

The 30-year-old Duke of Cambridge, a patron of the wildlife conservation charity Tusk Trust, addressed via video more than 2,000 delegates attending the 12-day CITES Conference (Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Bangkok, Thailand.

“As we enter 2013, the world’s natural resources are under threat as never before,” he said. “We know from the data and analysis presented to this meeting that the illegal killing of the African elephant and rhino, and the related illegal trade in their ivory and horn, has reached shocking levels in the past few years.

“We must do more to combat this serious crime if we are to reverse the current alarming trends. If not, we could soon see some populations of these creatures, or even an entire species, disappear from the wild.”

“We will work towards amending the national legislation with the goal of putting an end to ivory trade and to be in line with international norms,” she said. “This will help protect all forms of elephants, including Thailand’s wild and domestic elephants and those from Africa.”